3 reasons why the World Cup wouldn’t be the same without Argentina
By Dan Steeden
No chance to create more magical World Cup moments
Argentina are one of those nations whose players really know how to make the sparks fly on the international stage, and it certainly helped that they had arguably the best player of all time, Diego Maradona, amongst their ranks for four World Cups. Some of the competition’s best moments of all time have been provided by La Albiceleste, and in particular by Maradona.
Known as ‘El Pibe de Oro’ (‘The Golden Boy’), the supremely talented player was so loved that when playing against Italy in Naples, where he just so happened to play his club football at the time, the home fans refused to boo him, even when Argentina squeezed through the 1990 semi-final on penalties.
It was against England in 1986 however that Maradona was at the centre of two of the most iconic moments in World Cup history, and both came in a single game. The first of these was the infamous ‘Hand of God”, as so modestly named by Maradona himself. It appeared on first viewing that the Argentinian maestro had somehow out-jumped England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, but in fact he had guided the ball into the net with his hand, deceiving the referee to give Argentina the lead in the crucial quarterfinal.
The second unforgettable moment came just four minutes later, and is known affectionately by football fans across the globe as the ‘Goal of the Century’. Maradona picked the ball up on the half way line and embarked on an astounding run, taking the ball past Peter Beardsley, Peter Reid, Terry Butcher (twice), Terry Fenwick and then Peter Shilton, before slotting home to double Argentina’s lead. It was a sensational goal that will forever be remembered in the annals of footballing history.
You would perhaps be forgiven for thinking that without Maradona Argentina haven’t really created any magical moments, or at least any that compare to the things that The Golden Boy was capable of, but La Albiceleste have always been brimming with talent.
A more recent example of their undeniable class was the famous passing move against Serbia in the 2006 World Cup. It was one of the great team goals, scored in the end by Esteban Cambiasso, and set up by a Hernan Crespo backheel after a stunning 25-pass move. Argentina went on to win that game 6-0.
If the Argentina side of today do fail to qualify they will miss out on the chance to create more of these incredible World Cup moments, and we as fans will miss out on seeing a nation that has such an affinity with the beautiful in this sport we love.